When Journalism Became A Bad Word
Feeding time at a press conference
I was recently grumbling about being denied Ministry Of Defence clearance to travel north. Today I think I found out why. The person submitting the letter put ‘journalist’ as my occupation. Aside from being false, this is a guaranteed rejection in Sri Lanka. Being a journalist used to open doors, but now more than ever it’s closing them. Globally, journalists are getting attacked both by governments and via corporations and the profession is also reviled by many consumers. WTF is happening?
The Nature Of Journalism
The weird thing is, I don’t even like journalists. I have been shanked by them before and I’m pretty sure the story comes over any human beings involved. Many people I’ve talked to are always looking for a negative story and often pushing for it in the face of facts. I’m honestly surprised that journalists have many friends. Furthermore, the elitist culture of the mass media offends me, mainly because I’m left out. The people on CNN are often really dumb and they have so much money and power. I’m both jealous and appalled.
That said, I consume an insane amount of media and I love it. As much as I’m involved in blogging, I only read one blog regularly. The rest of my media diet is pretty much New York Times, Slate and whatever people link to on Twitter. As the world periodically explodes, I check the mainstream media to see what’s going on. As annoying as this priestly caste of scribes is, they still deliver.
Vs Governments
The bigger issue, however, is that governments are also annoyed on a much bigger and more brutal level. A free press in the American Constitution is there to help overthrow the government, as is the design of that odd document. This understandably makes established governments nervous. Like human rights, a free press is very useful when you’re in opposition, but quite irritating once you’re in power.
At some point governments figured out (or refigured out) that you could just control the press. Even the mighty Internet can be humbled, vis-a-vis China. Given a certain amount of guns, pliable courts and a bit of finesse, it’s not that hard. In fact, I’d say that real free press is a bit of rarity worldwide. Being tied as they are to physical things (presses, towers), journalists are subject to physical repression.
And Then
Like dinosaurs, journalists are marvelous multi-colored beasts that suffer greatly under violent government impact. Bloggers and Twitterers, however, are like the rats scurrying about beneath the dust clouds of asteroid winter. They’re still rats, but rat-like creatures once also evolved into humans. At some point blogs and human beings living the news will get commodified and corporatified and then governments will figure out how to smash it, but until then it’s a bit of a new thing, and a bit free.
So, next time I ask for permission to travel around my own country I’ll make sure they put my occupation as ‘Blogger’. I am not a journalist and I never want to be. For all the security reasons and stuff, but really because I don’t think being a journalist is that cool anymore. At least not for me.
you are so right. sometimes i am so ashamed to identify myself as a journalist.
reddy
the hindu
colombo
The freedom afforded to blogs will ony remain as long as regulation stays out. the moment there are attempts at standardisation and other forms of control; the element of ‘freedom’ will be lost. i hope this never happens! but im not all THAT optimistic :D
True…. most journalists abuse themselves and each other in Sri Lanka without any government intervention. and trust me, they (we) are more like rats than dinasours.
however, i don’t think you (and i) can shed the title of “journalist” just because our primary medium is the Internet. You are probably read more widely than most ‘dinasour’ editors both in SL and in the diaspora.
It is very sorry to see sri Lanka like in this situvation. We all should bear responsibility to present situation as it is we who elect this govement to power.
Some times i feel like we srilankan like cancer patients We only have a HOPE.
Well done BulathKolee…
Better no put blogger, they will not understand, and even if they do will regard it with even more suspicion.
Better say “student”.
You are a student of life and if pressed can claim to be in between courses.
Well you have the state media organisations with the single purpose of being a vessel for propaganda and the private media organisations that can get a bit caught up in trying to get an exposé but you can’t deny there are some good journalists in Sri Lanka.
It’s the nature of journalism… That’s just the way it will continue to be. There’s no chance of plunging a stake in its heart and expecting it shrivel up and die. What we can do is try to remember what proper journalism is and put it into practice.
After thought- Don’t blame the journalists. It’s the editors who play around with their stories to make it more “interesting” :P
The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes Aww! ~ Jack Kerouac